Dunkin' Brands Announces Executive Promotions

CANTON, Mass., Feb. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc., (Nasdaq: DNKN), the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, today announced the promotions of five executives. Grant Benson has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Franchising and Development, Dunkin' Brands; Amanda Helming has been promoted to Vice President, Dunkin' Donuts U.S. Brand Marketing and Pricing; Santhosh Kumar has been promoted to Dunkin' Brands' Vice President, Enterprise Infrastructure, Data Security and Privacy; Mark Youngworth has been promoted to Vice President, International Brand Marketing & Digital Communications; and Jeremy Biser has been promoted to Vice President, International Operating Systems, Learning, Food Safety & Equipment.

A 31-year veteran of Dunkin' Brands, Mr. Benson has held a variety of positions at the company in operations, restaurant development, franchising and business development. In his newly expanded role, he will lead restaurant franchising and development for both the Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands in the U.S., helping it maintain its position as one of the fastest growing companies by unit count in the quick-service restaurant industry. Mr. Benson reports to David Hoffmann, President, Dunkin' Donuts U.S. and Canada.

In her new role, Ms. Helming will oversee overall Dunkin' Donuts brand strategy and category management for both beverages and food, while continuing to lead the Pricing Strategy & Analytics team. In her nearly five years at Dunkin' Brands, she helped build the company's Insights organization as Senior Director – Global Consumer Insights & Pricing, and also served as Director – Brand Marketing & Strategic Initiatives for Dunkin' Donuts U.S. Her experience also includes positions in management and strategy with General Mills, Disney and ESPN Media Networks. Ms. Helming will report to Chris Fuqua, Dunkin' Donuts' Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing, Global Consumer Insights and Product Innovation.

A 16-year veteran of Dunkin' Brands, Mr. Kumar has held a variety of leadership positions in the company's Information Technology and Services organization, most recently as Senior Director of IT, Infrastructure, Information Security/Privacy and Electronic Payments. Mr. Kumar has been responsible for leading and directing the overall architecture, deployment and physical operation and performance of Dunkin' Brands' global data security, privacy and payment initiatives and processes.  He reports to Jack Clare, Chief Information & Strategy Officer at Dunkin' Brands.

Mr. Youngworth has led all aspects of brand marketing and consumer engagement for both the Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands outside of the U.S. and Canada. In addition to his work to reposition the Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin' Donuts brands internationally, he and his team have also expanded the company's digital marketing capabilities. Mr. Youngworth reports to Bill Mitchell, President of Dunkin' Brands International.

Mr. Biser has played a key role in increasing Dunkin' Brands' operational consistency and business standards internationally. In addition to his current responsibilities, he is also assuming oversight of the International Field Learning team. Mr. Biser will also report to Bill Mitchell, President of Dunkin' Brands International.

"We are pleased to announce the well-deserved promotions of Grant, Amanda, Santhosh, Jeremy and Mark. All of have made vital contributions to our organization in areas that are critical for our franchisees and our guests, and they will each play an important role in Dunkin' Brands' continued growth and success, both in the U.S. and around the world," said Nigel Travis, Dunkin' Brands' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

About Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc.

With more than 20,000 points of distribution in more than 60 countries worldwide, Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) is one of the world's leading franchisors of quick service restaurants (QSR) serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard-serve ice cream. At the end of the fourth quarter 2016, Dunkin' Brands' 100 percent franchised business model included more than 12,200 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and more than 7,800 Baskin-Robbins restaurants. Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. is headquartered in Canton, Mass.

SOURCE Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc.